After lounging about all day in a blanket/cloak and letting the dog in and out as the sun attempts to escape the thick gray clouds, beneath which everything has turned into a land of ice (oh joy, freezing rain), I’ve decided it’s time for a review.

Jerry Goldsmith, funny, I know the name but I haven’t reviewed anything by him yet. Hmm. Oh well. You may not be familiar with his name because the music for movies he’s done isn’t very memorable. It’s not moving in the same way something such as Braveheart or The Lord of the Rings is. A short sample list of Goldsmith’s work includes Legend (a favorite movie of mine), several Star Trek movies, a couple of Rambo movies, L.A. Confidential, Congo, Sleeping With the Enemy, and Poltergeist. As with all composers, you can go to Amazon.com and look them up and get a full list.

Moving along, most of these tracks are about 2-4 minutes in length and won’t take much explaining, seeing as how many of them sound quite similar in style and instrument use. The main differences are situations. So let’s get started!

1.) Imhotep Why is it certain tones, instruments, etc. make us think of certain places/things? If this doesn’t make you think of ancient Egypt, I don’t know what can. The powerful horns and rhythmic percussion create the background beautifully. Add in slanting strings and you get a sense of darkness along with it. *tsk tsk* Imhotep, you shouldn’t have hooked up with the most unavailable woman ever…(doy).

2.) The Sarcophagus See? This is what should happen to really bad cheaters. Wrap ‘em up and put ‘em in a box with flesh-eating bugs. Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. But the deep chorus here totally implies that something no-so-good is going to happen, along with quickly vibrating strings. Whoosh! Into the future we go…

3.) Toureg Attack …and meet Rick O’Connell. Mmm, yummy. Battle is imminent here (and isn’t the Toureg the name of a car now?). It’s as if a lot of times the strings and brass contrast and then meet with each other again. Very interesting, and it works out well. Percussion is having a party here – you’ll find almost everything but the kitchen sink being used.

4.) Giza Port The shortest track – but only at 2:01 which isn’t so short. A little exotic taste as we hear a piece of the movie’s theme for the first time. It’s a fairly quiet track and more casual than anything.

5.) Night Boarders Ah that flute and harp that so enjoy making up the movie theme and turning it into a double as the love theme. Soon though, sneaky strings slip in and drums and tambourines enter the fray as things get a little hectic. The use of tons of percussion here (and it’s not loud either) is a lot of fun. And it’s Rick’s heroic theme! Yay! Good times.

6.) The Caravan Movie/love theme flute beginning, tambourine please, Egyptian feeling with a couple of exotic strings, and we have a lovely over the desert travel song. Oh, and don’t forget the chorus.

7.) Camel Race Come on, the track name is “Camel Race” – what do you think this is going to sound like? Giddyap! Just as in the movie things lead into the city where the workers did to the pace of booms and clangs and a switch over to the love theme is made.

8.) The Crypt Ok, we’re in a tomb, it’s dark, it’s probably cursed, so the instruments are definitely going to match that mood. Meet Imhotep…on second thought, let’s not, he’s kind of icky right now. …Stupid curses. The slowly rising horns sort of become Imhotep’s personal little theme. Sort of like the T-1000 in Terminator 2. Heh.

9.) Mumia Attack Don’t ask me what a “mumia” is because I don’t know. My best guess is a weird word for multiple mummies. Quite like track 5, this is a fun one full of fights, heroic themes, and warnings. And later on, a little more of that love theme.

10.) Discoveries …These are not good discoveries. These are the kind of discoveries you wish weren’t discovered. The kind where the violins make your skin crawl and the woodwinds use the lowest notes they have and the chorus sounds like incoming ghosts. Beware the sudden freaked out trumpet.

11.) My Favorite Plague Boils and sores. Imhotep is now in control of a lot of people, marching to the beat of one drum. Here’s a bit of Imhotep’s evil theme as well. Then things get serious. First you have to outsmart the bad guys – then you have to outrun them. Doesn’t sound too good!

12.) Crowd Control Sparse drums and a chorus begin things here, continuing on for a while, only to be eventually taken over by one horn in a little of the love theme, but that gets taken over by a ghostly chorus who has joined Imhotep.

13.) Rebirth This is definitely the longest song on here, clocking in at 8:33. Very ominous here, and slightly creepy, the strings plucking in a way that makes me think of spiders. Seeing as now we’re under the City of the Dead and several mummies are walking around, that’s just how it should sound. Things fade momentarily and then come back in a rising chorus as three of our heroes walk into a chamber filled with gold. But their wonder doesn’t last long because now they have those mummies to deal with. It’s a clash between battling mummies, Rick’s theme, Imhotep’s theme, and all sorts of dead things coming to life. The part where Imhotep’s trying to bring back his love is especially interesting, with a strange springy noise coming in here and there.

14.) The Mummy This is the second longest song at 6:19. Slow for about 10 seconds before things get hectic again. Xylophones are a big part here. Slow for about another 10 seconds and getting crazy again. When battling several mummies at once, things tend to get crazy. Rick’s theme is getting a little strained and Imhotep’s is getting a little more dangerous and unhappy as well. The chorus greets Anubis as he stops by and then there’s a sudden twist at the end as Rick finishes the last mummy there.

15.) The Sand Volcano A fast whirlwind of music starts and goes for most of the track as the heroes rush to escape the overturning City of the Dead. Everything fades – with one last surprise – and turns into the lovely sounds of a harp and flute that, after the cameo of a tambourine, transform into the love theme. From there it goes right into a finishing touch as the end of the movie arrives. At this point we get a recap of music as the credits roll. But it is pretty much Rick’s heroic theme and the love/movie theme, which then fade to silence.


Throughout these tracks there are certain instruments that I cannot place, both in percussion and strings. They are definitely foreign (at least to my ears) and sound like they come from Egypt or some region thereof. I would love to tell you what instruments were used, at the very least that string instrument, but I searched the cover all over and there is no mention of anything, so alas, I cannot tell you. Sad. =(

My initial thoughts were to give this CD 3 stars. I don’t listen to this often – never mind that it’s not mine. However, after listening to it, I’ve decided to bump it up to 4 stars.

The Good: Jerry Goldsmith, like a lot of other composers, has his stuff together. Why else would he have done so many soundtracks for so many movies? He does an excellent job of capturing ancient Egypt with the use of certain instruments as well as the chorus. As many of you know, I’ve always appreciated a composer who knows how to use a chorus well. The music was absolutely perfect for the movie as well as the characters themselves, such as the main hero Rick. The theme for him was right on the ball. Goldsmith was able to capture the creepiness of the whole mummy experience as well as the love between the couples on the screen (even if two of them were evil). If I’m watching a movie and pick up on the music separately then that’s always a good thing. Kudos.

Why only 4: The lack of the final star is because the music is a little too, well, generic is the best word I can come up with right now. Now for this movie that’s not too big of a problem. After all, it is just a fun action, some love type of story, well shown by the music. The issue with it is that there is nothing that really gets me going. I like my soundtracks to move me, get me sad, revved up, or happy. Whatever. The point is, if I just want a general recap of the movie, I can play this and picture everything in my head. My imagination doesn’t fly away the way it does with other soundtracks. For many of you that might not matter, and in all truth, I am struggling with giving it 5 stars just because of my one issue because it is very good. It’s just for me, the replay value isn’t there as much as it is with others.

But hey, you can do whatever you want. Just ask your mummy first. (sorry, I had to, haha)

NT

You know they made a sequel: The Mummy Returns.

Recommended: Yes